Harry Potter and the Deepening Darkness
by Charliepotter
Summary: Harry begins 6th year at Hogwarts. He struggles to deal with the death of a loved one and the new dangers that have arisen after his 5th year. CONTAINS OotP SPOILERS! Please Read. Reviews are very welcome.
1. No longer there

**Disclaimer: I am very sorry to admit to you all that unfortunately I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters etc in it, Poor me.**

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE 5TH BOOK SO IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT THEN DO NOT CONTINUE READING THIS!

Right, on with the show.

Chapter One: No longer there

Harry sat at his window staring out into the deserted street below. Nothing was stirring but he expected this as Privet Drive was a very respectable street so there would never be any noise at this ungodly hour. He tilted his head up so he was now starring into the depthless black of the sky. Stars twinkled down at him as he peered yet he could not help but to feel that something was missing. Turning his head to see better; he started to mentally go through all of the constellations that he knew. Suddenly it hit him; a wave of sadness overtook his body and he crumpled to the ground beside his bed.

"Sirius is gone" he whispered into the night.

It was true, the brightest star in the sky was missing, almost as though someone had reached up and plucked it from the darkness.

Harry remained sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped tightly around his slender legs. He could not cry; tears were too trivial for the loss he had suffered. He would not cry, crying would make it definite. Harry lowered his head until it was resting on his knees. He shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep, only to be woken in a few hours time by a rapping on his door.

"Up! Get up boy! Up now! If your going to stay in this house you might as well make yourself useful!" his aunts' voice penetrated the thick wood of his door like the knives that seemed to have penetrated his heart.

Slowly he rose; rubbing sleep from his eyes he made his way towards the door. Pulling it open he was met with the bony face of his aunt Petunia. 

"Get dressed and get downstairs! Your uncle wants a word with you boy! Make sure you keep a civil tongue in your head while you're taking to him" she snapped before heading off to the cupboard under the stairs to fetch the vacuum. 

Harry trudged downstairs, anger boiling up inside him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone, couldn't they see that he was in pain? When he got to the kitchen he found his uncle Vernon sitting at the square table with a letter clutched in his large blotchy hands.

"Sit!" he barked at Harry

Harry obeyed and sat down opposite him. He did not want to look up; instead he studied his hands willing his uncle to let him go.

"I received a letter this morning, delivered by one of those ruddy owls! It says you're to be picked up tomorrow. I've been told to tell you that you must be packed and ready by 7pm on the dot. . . no doubt the crack pot old fool wants you back at that freak house. . .well I say good riddance! The earlier the better" His uncle said all this in a very strained voice. Clearly he did not relish the idea of having more 'freaks' in his house yet he was still too afraid to protest.

"Right" Harry muttered "can I go now?"

"Yes, get back to your room and don't come down unless you're called, I see too much of you as it is" his uncle bit back in reply.

"Fine, s'not like I enjoy your company either" Harry snapped as he retreated from the room.

"Watch your mouth boy!" he heard his uncle say as he climbed the stairs.

Once he was back in his room he flipped open the lid of his trunk and started packing.

Wonder why they're getting me so early tis time? Bet Dumbledore feels guilty about last summer. Still, it's only been two weeks. Wonder who's coming to get me?

He continued on this train of thought all throughout his packing. After he finished he flopped down onto his bed staring at the ceiling. Slowly he drifted back off into a fitful sleep.

At around six fifty-nine the next evening Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed anxiously awaiting his pick up. The clock on his beside table struck seven just as a series of loud 'cracks' came from outside his door. He leapt from his bed and wrenched open the door only to come face to face with bubble gum pink hair and a bright smile.

"Wotcher Harry!" said Tonks "Me, Lupin and Mad Eye have come to collect you! S'pect your happy 'bout getting out of this odd muggle place" 

"'Course I am" he replied looking over her shoulder at his two former professors. "We going now?"

"Certainly are, here let me get your trunk Harry" Lupin said striding past him into his room. Harry noticed the increased amount of grey hair his old teacher seemed to have gained in the short amount of time since he had last seen him.

Lupin performed the _Locomotor _charm on his trunk and sent it zooming downstairs.

"Right Potter, we'll need to put a disillusionment charm on you again, hold on" Moody said gruffly.

Once again Harry felt the odd trickling sensation down his spine. Looking down he saw that he was now completely blended in with his bedroom. 

"Right-o, let's get moving shall we? Harry, grab your Firebolt; we're off on another long cold journey"

Harry was surprised that Tonks could say all that and still remain oddly cheerful. He bent over and picked up his Firebolt, still grateful that Dumbledore had given it back to him at the end of the year, along with his place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The three wizards and witch made their way downstairs, out the front door and into the still night. They mounted their broomsticks and kicked off into the cool summer air. 

It felt wonderful to be back on his Firebolt. All his feelings of emptiness were pushed aside as Harry concentrated on his flying. They followed the same route that they had taken last summer, touching down in the dank darkness of Grimmauld Place. Number Twelve materialised in front of Harry's eyes and Moody stepped up to the door.

"Quickly now Harry, inside" Urged Lupin

Harry walked over the threshold and into the dark corridor beyond. Immediately he felt ill. This was Sirius' house; it was once alive with his laughter and loud Christmas carols, his grumblings about Kreacher and his cursing about Dumbledore. It was once welcoming, now it seemed to Harry as if the life had been sucked out of it. Swallowing the lump in his throat he started walking towards the drawing room behind Moody. He could hear voices coming from inside.

Moody opened the door and a bright light flooded into the corridor. Harry stepped into the room. He was greeted by the faces of most of the Weasley's and Dumbledore.

"Hello Harry, lovely of you to join us this fine evening, if you haven't already noticed Ron and Hermione are not present, so unless you want to be bored senseless by these old people, I suggest you make your way up to your old room. . ." George said this with a gigantic grin on his freckly face.

"Too true my dear brother. Now Harry my good man, you wouldn't mind if we joined you? You see, we are also bored senseless with these old folks" this time it was Fred who spoke, he also had an equally large grin gracing his face.  

"Right" was all that Harry could say, he was still overcome with grief from just being in this house. He nodded a 'hello' to the occupants in the room before turning on his heel and striding off towards the stairs. As soon as he got to his room he heard two loud cracks and Fred and George appeared in the middle of the room.

"Bloody hell you two! You could give us some warning!" Ron yelled, "Oh! Hiya Harry!"  

Before Harry could reply he was being strangled by a very overexcited Hermione.

"Oh Harry! How have you been? It's been awful at home! I haven't been able to concentrate on any of my homework at all! And then yesterday I got a letter saying I'm being taken here! Oh and when I got here it was awful too! This house is so full of memories!" she said all this without taking a breath. Harry was surprised that anyone could go so long without air.

"She's been like this since she got here! Honestly 'Mione, you could stop babbling for once you know!" snapped Ron.

"Well at least I show emotion! Not like somebody, Mr 'I'm so good" retorted Hermione in what Harry thought was a very immature and un-Hermione like way.

"Oh really! I don't show emotion! That's bull that is! At least I have some bloody tact! Can you believe her Harry! For Merlin's sake!"

"Oh shut up both of you! I don't want to listen to your bickering! I thought you stopped all that last year!" Harry said angrily.

Harry felt his anger rise up in him once again. It was strange really, that this was the same spot that he had blown up at Hermione and Ron last year.

"I'm sorry Harry" Hermione whispered, "It's just that every time I try to speak Ron here shuts me up. It's like he thinks that's I'm going to say something about Sirius!"

The room was suddenly filled with a reigning silence after Hermione had finished speaking. Harry looked down at his hands then turned to face the back wall.

"I'm so sorry Harry! I really didn't mean to say anything!" said Hermione frantically.

"S'ok 'Mione, could you guys just err, leave me be for a bit? Please?"

The desperation in Harry's voice told all the others that now would be a good time to go. Ron, Hermione, Fred and George all turned and left the room together with George quietly shutting the door behind him.

Harry sank down onto his bed. Why had they brought him here? To torment him with thoughts of Sirius? He put his head in his hands. After a while he decided he should just go to bed. He'd get answers in the morning as to why he was here. All he felt like doing now was forgetting. He quickly pulled on a pair of pyjamas from his trunk wondering how it had got there. He crawled into bed with one last thought drifting through his head before he slipped into sleep; why are they doing this to me?

TBC. . .


	2. Mystery and brooding

**Disclaimer: Blergh! Do I really need one of these? I mean come on! It's not like you don't all know that obviously don't own Harry Potter…sheesh!**

THIS STILL CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE 5TH BOOK…I WARNED YOU LAST TIME…DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT!

Chapter 2: Mystery…and brooding

Harry woke up early the next morning; the sunlight streaming into the room hurt his tired eyes. Across the room on the other bed Harry could see Ron's still form. Downstairs he could hear the rumble of voices and the pattering of feet. He got out of bed and headed off to the bathroom. After showering he quickly got dressed and went down to the basement kitchen.

Mrs Weasley was bustling around when he got there; clearly she was already making breakfast for everyone. Harry stood in the doorway looking around, only Mr Weasley and Lupin were down at the moment and neither of them had noticed Harry. Suddenly Mrs Weasley turned around and caught sight of him standing there.

"Harry dear! I didn't expect you to be down so early! Come and sit down, I'll make you something to eat" she said smiling at him in a motherly way

Not having the strength to argue, Harry let himself be steered into a chair at the table. Lupin and Mr Weasley were both looking at him now and both seemed surprised to see him sitting there. Harry stared defiantly back at them and opened his mouth to speak.

"Why am I here?" he asked

"Ah, I knew you'd ask that" Mr Weasley smiled "well, we've brought you here for two main reasons. The first is that we've been hearing about a lot of disturbances in muggle towns so we thought you'd be better off here. And secondly, well, it's like this Harry . . . err. . ."

"We're holding a kind of funeral for Sirius Harry" Lupin finished for him "we thought we could get everyone together to say their goodbyes"

  
"oh" was all Harry could manage. He had never thought that wizards had funerals, let alone that he'd be going to one.

"I guess that's ok then" he said quietly "when's it going to be?"

"Two days" Lupin answered "we're just waiting for someone to arrive"

"Who?" Harry asked

"You'll see" Lupin replied smiling sadly "they'll be arriving tomorrow, you can meet them then. I know Sirius would have wanted you to"

"Oh, alright then"

Mrs Weasley came back into the dining area carrying a large stack of toast and marmalade.

"Here you go dear, eat it all now, you still look painfully thin" she said thrusting the plate under his nose.

After breakfast Harry went off to Sirius' mothers' room where Buckbeak was still holding up. He sat down on the floor next to him and leant against the beasts' large legs.

"You miss him too don't you" he said

The Hippogriff nudged his shoulder in reply. His beady orange eyes showed more understanding than he had received from anyone else excluding Dumbledore. Harry stayed in Mrs Black's room for the rest of the day, mulling over thoughts of who would be arriving the next day. It was getting quite late when he finally left the room to get something to eat. As he was passing one of the many rooms on his way to the kitchen he heard Lupins voice coming from inside.

"How do you think Harry will take it?"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and pressed his ear up against the door. He heard the voice of his Headmaster reply.

"I am not sure Remus. I know that Sirius never told Harry about her, I expect that he will be both shocked and angry. Yet I believe that this will be good for him"

"I agree Albus, but what if he blows up again? I know he hates having things hidden from him; he might not understand why he was never told"

"We shall see Remus; all we can do is let things take their course"

 Harry heard the sound of chairs scraping against the floor and he leapt back from the door. He hurried off down the hall into the kitchen. After grabbing an apple he went to sit in the drawing room.

Who're they talking about? The person who's coming tomorrow? Why did Sirius never say anything about her? Who is she? 

All these thoughts ran through his head as he munched on his apple. When he finished he went back up to his bedroom. Ron was already fast asleep, Harry could tell by the steady slow pace of his breathing. Congratulating himself on successfully avoiding everyone for the whole day he got into bed and drifted off to sleep.

Again Harry woke early, got dressed and went down to breakfast. Inside the kitchen he found Moody, Tonks and Kingsley Shaklebolt all talking with Lupin. When they spotted Harry they stopped talking at once. Feeling his anger bubbling inside of him he turned to Lupin hoping that he would care to explain.

"Good morning Harry, we were just discussing the best way to fetch our guest" Lupin said, obviously he had understood Harry's pointed look.

"Right, well when are they arriving?" he asked

"We were just about to set off to see Dumbledore about picking her up from her drop off point" Kingsley replied.

"Well, don't let me stop you" Harry said as politely as he could when all he wanted to do was demand that they tell him who it was. He turned around and went to a cupboard to get his breakfast. He heard a series of _'cracks'_ and when he turned around again he found the room empty.

On his way back upstairs he heard someone call his name. Cursing under his breath he turned around and saw Hermione standing at the end of the hallway.

"Please don't go Harry. I'm really sorry about what I said the other night. I was just so happy to see you again" she said softly stepping closer to him.

"It's ok Hermione; I've just been feeling so cramped and confused lately. All I've wanted was to be left alone. And tomorrow is Sirius' funeral and I don't know how I'm going to cope" Harry was surprised that he had let so much out.

"I know Harry, we all do. I can't even begin to imagine how much this is hurting you. But I know that you are strong, I know you can beat the pain and the emptiness. I want you to promise me that you'll never forget that we are all here for you. We all loved Sirius, and we all miss him. I want you to know that you can talk to me, whenever" she said, looking as if she was restraining herself from crying.

"I know 'Mione, I know I can talk to you. And I will, but not now ok?"  Harry said knowing full well that he most likely wouldn't ever be able to let anyone know all his feelings.

"D'you know who's coming today?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"No, nobodies told us anything. All I know is that they're a girl. Though I can't for the life of me think how she's connected with Sirius or why and how she knows he was innocent" she replied, obviously taking the hint that Harry wanted the subject changed.

"Oh, ok, where's Ron?" Harry asked

 "In your room. Shall we go and visit him? Last I checked he was trying to build a card tower out of exploding snap cards. Poor boy, he didn't want to disturb you" she said smiling slightly.

"Alright" Harry replied "let's go and check on him before he blows himself up"  

Just as they got to the door to Harry's room there came a loud 'BANG' and a lot of smoke came leaking out from under the door.

"You can do the honours" Harry said turning to Hermione who then opened the door with great trepidation.

When all the smoke had cleared they saw that Ron was sitting in the middle of the room. His face was completely black and both of his eye-brows were singed off.

"Bloody hell" he muttered, apparently still in shock.

"Well" Harry said grinning "I do love the new look, the eye-brows really suit the soot, don't you agree Hermione?"

"Oh yes, Ron dear, this could be the start of a new trend!"

"Shut up" Ron snapped attempting to wipe some soot off his face. Both Harry and Hermione burst out laughing.

"You know Ron, when Hermione and I first met you; you had dirt on your nose. I never thought it would lead to this" Harry said through his laughter. It felt great to be back laughing with his friends. It was as if a heavy weight has been lifted from his shoulders giving him a temporary sense of relief.

"Perhaps you should wash that off now Ron, you wouldn't want the surprise guest to think that you're some crazy derelict weirdo now would you?" Harry questioned trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Oh bugger off!" Ron replied waspishly but he still left the room to wash the soot off his face.

When he came back in he sat down on his bed and looked at Harry.

"S'nice of you to join us" he said "I've been bored out of my brain listening to her go on about how worried she is over her OWL results"

"Yes well, you should be worrying too! These are our futures we're talking about! These results could make or break us!" 

"Calm down Hermione, you'll do fine" Harry said soothingly "you'll get 'outstanding' for everything, you have nothing to worry about. I however have heaps to worry about. If I don't get 'outstanding' in potions then my chances of being an Auror are gone"

"You do realise that we get marks for both the written and the practical OWL tests? So you could get an 'Outstanding' for practical, but an 'exceeds expectations' for the written, which would most likely get you into your course. Then again, in some courses there is only one OWL that you can get, like in History of Magic, we don't have a practical exam so you can only get one OWL, or in Herbology where the mark is combined. So basically you are going to get a mark out of fifteen where as I'm going to get a mark out of sixteen"

Ron and Harry both gave her blank stares.

"Oh you'll see! You know, it is all in _Hogwarts: a History, _if you'd just read it!"

"You should know by now that we're never going to read it. I mean, why should we? You already know it off by heart!" Ron said pointedly.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked suddenly, just realising that he hadn't seen hide or hair of the little red head since arriving.

"Oh she's at home with Bill, Charlie and Dad. They're coming over later tonight to meet this mystery girl . . . wonder who she is?" Ron replied looking thoughtful.

Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the rest of the day in Harry and Ron's room talking and playing exploding snap, just being with his friends made Harry berate himself for ever trying to hide away.

Hermione was midway through a long speech about how wonderful her newest book was when suddenly they heard the front door being opened then shut again, then the sound of people walking along the corridor downstairs. Ron, Harry and Hermione all looked at each other before sprinting off downstairs to meet the 'mystery girl' as Ron had dubbed her.

When they got downstairs they saw that the hallway was empty but they heard voices coming from the drawing room. Harry raced off towards it with Ron and Hermione hot on his tail. He burst in and found himself faced with Lupin, Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, Mrs Weasley, Kingsley and the twins. They were all standing around a figure wrapped in a travelling cloak with the hood up.

"Hello Harry, Hermione, Ron" Lupin said smiling "please sit down, you too" he said to the rest of them.

Everybody sat down except Lupin and the girl in the cloak.

"Ebony, you can take off your cloak now, hear, give it to me" he said

The girl lowered her hood and took off her cloak to reveal a short, slender teenage girl with wavy black hair and very familiar eyes. She gave her cloak to Lupin who placed it on the back of an armchair. He the turned back to the crowd and said. 

"Everyone, this is Ebony Black, Ebony is Sirius' daughter"

TBC

A/N: thankyou to the people who reviewed, it's really great hearing your comments. But I'd still love it if more people reviewed because I really need some more feedback on this story. THANKS!!!! =)


	3. In her eyes

**Disclaimer: Howdy strangers…I don't own this…well I guess I own the plot…and Ebony…but nothing else…ah well.**

THIS STILL CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE 5TH BOOK…I WARNED YOU LAST TIME…DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK!

I don't really have anything to say at the moment except that I have decided to dedicate this chapter to my number 2 fan **charliegirl** . . . with reviews like yours I think I'm going to have to make you an equal first.

On with the show!

Chapter 3: In her eyes

Harry sat in stunned silence. Did Remus just say that the girl standing in front of him was Sirius' daughter? How could that be? How did he, Harry, not know about this? There had to be some mistake, yes that would be it, he had heard wrong. Clearing his throat slightly he looked up at Lupin and said

"_Excuse _me?"

"Harry, this is Ebony, she's Sirius' daughter"

"S-Sirius' d-daughter? Are, are you sure?" he stuttered

Lupin smiled "Yes Harry" 

"Oh, Oh ok" Harry blinked a few times still trying to let this piece of information sink in. He turned around to see how the others were reacting. Ron's mouth was hanging open, Hermione was muttering under her breath, Fred and George just seemed surprised, Tonks was grinning, Mrs Weasley was looking teary eyed, Moody seemed to be unruffled and Dumbledore had that twinkle in his eyes; of course he already knew. Lupin turned to look at Ebony.

"Ebony, now that you've been introduced you why don't I introduce everyone else?"

The girl nodded.

"Alright, firstly there's Tonks, she's actually related to you Ebony but I'll go into that later, then Alastor Moody; an Auror and a part of the Order. Next Molly Weasley; she's the mother of the group, then her children Fred and George – they're twins – and Ron. There's also Bill, Charlie, Percy and Ginny and her husband but they aren't here. Then there's Hermione Granger, a Hogwarts student and Ron and Harry's friend, then Albus Dumbledore; Hogwarts Headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix. And last but not least we have Harry Potter; your fathers Godson.

In turn everyone in the group got up and shook hands with Ebony who accepted their hands politely but did not utter one word. When it came to Harry he too got up to shake her hand in welcome. When he took her hand a strange warmth spread up his arm, startled he looked into her eyes, something sparked in them. Quickly he dropped her hand and went back to his seat. Her eyes were so much like Sirius', yet there was something else there, some spark, a thrilling life force, whatever it was it had unsettled him.

Harry tuned out for the rest of Remus' speech. He simply sat thinking about how completely odd this whole scenario was. If anyone had told him last year that he'd be meeting his dead godfather's non existent daughter he would have laughed, called them crazy and walked away. But now, faced with that very situation all he could do was sit. Sit and think. He stayed in his own private dream world until he heard someone calling his name.

"Oi! Harry! Wake up!"

It was Ron; he was waving his hand in front of Harry's face in an attempt to pull him from his thoughts. Harry swatted his hand away.

"Ron! I'm alive! I'm awake! What d'you want?" he cried

"Me and Hermione are being sent to bed, so we're just saying goodnight"

"Oh, right, I'll come up with you then" Harry said standing up

""Nah mate, don't you listen?" Harry shook his head at Ron "You have to stay here, Dumbledore wants a word"

"Okay" Harry said sitting back down again "I'll err, I'll see you two in the morning then"

"Of course, goodnight Harry" Hermione bent down and planted a kiss on his cheek before turning to leave with Ron.

Harry looked around the room and was shocked to see that it now only held himself, Dumbledore and Ebony. Dumbledore caught his eyes and beckoned for Harry to sit closer to him. Slowly Harry got to his feet and made his way to where Dumbledore and Ebony were seated. He sat down in an overstuffed armchair directly in front of the two of them.

They all sat in silence for a moment before Dumbledore decided to speak.

"Harry, Ebony, I can not imagine what this is like for the both of you. You Harry have just been informed that your late godfather has a daughter that you did not know existed. And you ebony have travelled from the other side of the globe to attend your father's funeral and to join us at Hogwarts. The peculiarity of these events must be overwhelming for the both of you yet I know that you will handle these situations wonderfully. That said, I myself must be going. I would like for you to stay and talk with each other before going to bed. I believe that it would benefit the both of you greatly. Goodnight Harry, Ebony, don't stay up for to long"

Dumbledore got up to leave the room. He paused however and turned back around to face the two silent teenagers.

"Before I go, would either of you care for a lemon drop?" he asked

 Harry snorted and shook his head but Ebony remained still.

"No? Well I'll be off then, Goodnight"

Dumbledore swept out of the drawing room leaving only Harry, Ebony and an uncomfortable silence. After a while Harry cleared his throat.

"So err, where are you from?" he asked

Ebony looked up from her hands.

"Um, Australia" she answered quietly

Harry realised then that that was the first time he had heard her speak. Ebony had a melodious voice that definitely carried a distinct Australian accent.

"Err, where in Australia?" he queried

"Brisbane" she replied

"Oh ok" Harry said not having any clue where Brisbane was. 

They lapsed into silence again. Finding nothing to say Harry simply looked at Ebony. He saw so much of Sirius in her; his eyes, his cheekbones – only more feminine - , the straightness of her nose, the way her hair fell around her face. There was no denying that this was Sirius' daughter.

"Why are you looking at me?" her voice startled Harry and he quickly looked away blushing.

"I see so much of him in you" he replied softly "It's hard not to look, it's just, I miss him so much"

Harry looked back around. Ebony had silent tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes were boring into him, seeming to analyse whether or not he was truly feeling this way. Suddenly Harry found himself in a warm embrace. Ebony had obviously decided that he was truthfully feeling the same pain as her and had gotten up from the couch and thrown her arms around him. Amazingly Harry didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable with this. He tentatively placed his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. He could feel her sobs wracking her body and he gently rubbed her back. Finally he had found someone with the same emotions as him. Even though Lupin was evidently distraught he could not feel like had lost a father, rather a best friend or a brother. But now Harry was able to show the depth of his loss because Ebony was clearly feeling the same. So for the first time since it had happened, Harry cried, small tears slid down his pale cheeks leaving glistening trails.

They stayed like that for quite a long time; Ebony clinging to Harry with her face nestled into his chest and Harry rubbing her back comfortingly. Neither felt uncomfortable for both needed the warmth and understanding the other could give.

After a while Ebony removed her head from where it was buried in Harry's chest and tilted it up to look at him.

"I'm sorry" she muttered "it's just, you know how I feel. No one else can come close. And you knew him so well"

Harry smiled "I feel exactly the same"

He tightened his grip around her waist and she leant back into him.

"Can you imagine the looks on everyone's faces? I mean, I've known you around two hours and I've only said a few sentences to you. Yet here we are, clinging to each other for dear life. It's kinda funny really" he chuckled

"It is, isn't it?" she replied "but, as odd as this may sound, I feel . . . safe with you. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense" Harry answered 

"Hmmm, well, I s'pose we should go to bed. Do you know where I'm sleeping?" Ebony questioned 

"I s'pect in Hermione's room, there's a spare bed in there. I'm sure there are more bedrooms but I reckon you'll be with Hermione so you have some company. Do you want me to take you up?"

She nodded and removed herself from their hug. Harry got up after her and they made their way to where Hermione was sleeping. Slowly Harry opened the door.

The room was pitch black but he could hear the sound of Hermione's heavy breathing. Slowly and careful not to make any noise Harry guided Ebony over to the spare bed. He could see the outline of a trunk at the foot of it.

"Your trunks over there if you want to get some pyjamas" he whispered

"Nah, S'alright, I'm too tired to be bothered" she replied

"Alright then, G'night Ebony, it was great to meet you" Harry said

"You too Harry, and thankyou" Ebony replied

"What for?" he asked

"For understanding, you don't realise how it feels to finally find someone who knows what I'm going through"

"S'ok, I should be thanking you for the same thing" he replied

"Ah, we're a right pair aren't we?" she asked

"Certainly are. Anyway, if you need anything, and I mean anything at all, just come and get me ok? My room's the third door down from here"

"Alright then, see you in the morning"

"Night"

"G'night"

Harry stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. Quietly as he could he made his way up the hall to his and Ron's room. When he opened the door he was bathed in light. Apparently Ron had decided to wait up for him.

"Hey, you took your time" Ron stated as Harry walked into their room "What'd you find out about her?"

"Err, not much; just that she's from Brisbane in Australia" Mumbled Harry.

"It took you an hour and a half to find out that she's from Australia! How the heck did that happen?" Ron demanded

"Oh, I err found that out straight away"

"Ok, then what did you do for the rest of the time? You weren't . . . y'know?

"What?! No way! She was just upset so we sat together, just err comforting each other I s'pose"

"A likely story" Ron said grinning slyly at Harry flushing cheeks

"Whatever" Harry muttered turning around to fetch his pyjamas. He slipped back out of the room and into the bathroom to get changed. When he returned Ron was still sitting up in his bed grinning.

"Ya know mate, there's nothing to be ashamed of" he said as Harry turned off the lights "I'm actually rather jealous, I mean, bloody hell, I haven't even had a girlfriend yet!"

"We didn't _do_ anything!" Harry exclaimed as he climbed into bed

"Even if you didn't you still had Cho last year" Ron replied yawning

"Oh yes, now _that_ was a great time. Let me back track, first she cried all over me, then she went all girly, the jealous of me and Hermione, the she tried to make me jealous by bringing up Cedric. Then she got angry at me 'cause I yelled when her snitchy little friend ratted on us! Oh yes, we had a ball!" Harry replied sarcastically

"Oh"

Let me tell you Ron, It's not all it's cracked up to be"

"Oh"

"G'night Ron" Harry sighed

"Oh, G'night Harry"

Harry settled back into his pillows and started to drift off to sleep. His thoughts were full of dark haired girls crying all over him, first Cho then Ebony. Strange really, he seemed to be a magnet for them, but he had a feeling that Ebony was different. What was so different about her he couldn't put his finger on, but there was something there, in her eyes . . ."

TBC . . . 

Oh, and if you would be so kind . . . perhaps you could leave a comment, I really need some feedback. MERCI!


	4. OWLS, jealousy and goodbyes

**Disclaimer: If you're thick enough to believe that I wrote Harry Potter go ahead, I won't stop you.**

I am now going to thank all the people who have reviewed so far because I forgot in the last three chapters so now all you lucky people get mentioned!!!

Right so thanks to

**Facade**: This is going to be a full blown 6th year story so stick with me. Thanks for reviewing it's greatly appreciated.

**Alexandria Wood: **after reading your review I've tried to get Hermione a bit more in character, but I reckon that she's like this because she's really nervous around Harry so I've made her slip up a few times. In the future she's going to be a lot better though. Thanks for reviewing! 

**Cassie**: I'll keep it up if you keep reviewing! Hee hee…thanks for the compliment!

**Tempest Knight**: I'm keeping it up, ooo I'm glad people want me to keep going! Thanks for the review!

**Charliegirl**: You're too cool! Thanks for being such a loyal reviewer so far! You are definitely my equal number 1 fan now!

**Kayla**: Thank you oh so much! It's really fantastic to be told I write like J.K Rowling even though it's way too good a compliment to bestow upon me. 

A/N: I just want to say a big thankyou to all the people who keep telling me to keep going! It's so groovy to hear that. I am definitely going to thank you all before every chapter from now on. THANKYOU!

Ok, enough of that . . . on with the chapter!

Chapter 4: OWLS, jealousy and Goodbyes

Harry woke up the next morning to Hermione bursting through the door and dancing around the room.

"HARRY, RON! WAKE UP! OUR O.W.L RESULTS ARE HERE!" she screamed

Harry and Ron both shot up in bed and scrambled to get their letters off a beaming Hermione. Once she had handed them out she sat down at the end of Harry's bed.

"Err, shall we open them together then?" Harry suggested

"Yes, let's do it on the count of three" Hermione replied smiling cheerfully "Ready; one . . . two . . . three!" 

They all tore open their think envelopes. Harry pulled out a wad of yellow parchment and slowly unfolded it. Swallowing a lump of nervousness he began to read.

_24th July, 1996___

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_This letter contains the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. The following results will be the deciding factors for the classes you will be able to participate in for your next two school years. Also enclosed are your options for study next term and a form that must be completed and sent by return owl to Hogwarts by the first of August._

**_Harry James Potter_**

****

**_Ordinary Wizarding Level results 1995-96_**

****

**_CHARMS_**

_Written – Outstanding_

_Practical – Exceeds Expectations_

**_TRANSFIGURATION_**

_Written – Exceeds Expectations_

_Practical – Outstanding_

**_DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS_**

_Written – Outstanding_

_Practical – Outstanding_

**_POTIONS_**

_Written – Outstanding_

_Practical – Exceeds Expectations_

**_CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES_**

_Written – Exceeds Expectations_

_Practical – Outstanding_

**_HISTORY OF MAGIC_**

_Written – Poor_

**_ASTRONOMY_**

_Written – Exceeds Expectations_

_Practical – Poor_

**_HERBOLOGY_**

_Combined – Exceeds Expectations_

**_DIVINATION_**

_Combined – Poor_

_Congratulations Mr Potter, you have received a total of twelve out of fifteen possible O.W.Ls. Your next year N.E.W.T level study options are as follows;_

**_CHARMS N.E.W.T PREPARATION_**

**_TRANSFIGURATION N.E.W.T PREPARATION_**

**_DEFENCE AGAINST THE DRAK ARTS N.E.W.T PREARATION_**

**_POTIONS N.E.W.T PREPARATION_**

**_CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES N.E.W.T PREPARATION_**

**_HERBOLOGY N.E.W.T PREPARATION_**

****

_Considering your career choice it is advisable to choose at least five of these options. However, if you were to take all six your chances of becoming an Auror would be elevated greatly._

_Please send your study choices by owl as soon as possible._

_Your start of term notices and booklist will be sent to you at a later date._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor M. McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry blinked down at the letter in front of him. He had received twelve O.W.L's, how was that possible? And six of them had been 'Outstanding'. Maybe they had made a mistake. He didn't think that was likely though. But how did he manage to get 'exceeds expectations' and 'outstanding' in potions? He looked up so that he could see Ron and Hermione's expressions. Hermione was glowing and Ron looked slightly downcast.

"So err, how'd you go?" he asked them

"Oh Harry, I got all of my sixteen O.W.L's and thirteen of them were 'outstanding'! I'm so happy! I never expected to do so well! How did you do Harry?"

"I got twelve out of my fifteen O.W.L's and six of them where 'outstanding' and six were 'exceeds expectations'"

 "Good on you! What about the other three?"

"Oh, I failed Divination, the practical Astronomy because that was when Hagrid was attacked and History of Magic 'cause that was when I had my Voldemort vision"

"Oh well at least you can drop Divination now. Completely useless subject it is anyway" she turned to look at Ron "How did you do Ron?"

 "Alright" he replied__

"Well, what did you get?" Harry questioned

"Not as good as you two that's for sure" Ron snapped

"Oh come of it Ron, you can tell us" Hermione snapped back

"Fine! I got nine O.W.L's out of fifteen. Four were 'acceptable' and five were 'exceeds expectations'. I didn't get any 'outstanding's' like you two. I failed Potions, History of Magic, Astronomy and Divination. Happy? Oh wait, I forgot; I got 'dreadful' for Divination. There you go" Ron said waspishly

"Ron" said Harry shaking his head "you did fine, just calm down alright? Merlin knows what you're so worked up about"

"Harry's right Ron, just settle down okay?"

"Oh of course _Harry's _right, yes of course _you_ agree with _Harry_. I mean, he's _always_ right. Of course _he_ gets brilliant results. That's right Hermione; you _have_ to agree with the _smart_ boy. This is so unfair! I work just as hard as him! But of course _he_ has to do well; he's Harry Potter!" Ron was extremely red in the face by the time he had finished ranting.

Both Harry and Hermione stared at him for a moment before Harry stood up and walked out of the room. His blood was bubbling and his heart was pumping hard against his ribcage. How could Ron say those things? It was almost as if Ron thought that Harry bought his marks or that they had give to him because he was Harry Potter, not because he had worked for them. He hated the jealousy Ron felt. He walked heavily down the corridor until he reached Hermione's room. Harry raised his hand and knocked thee times on the hard wood door.

"Ebony Are you in there?" he called

"Harry, hang on two seconds, I'll be right there" came the reply

The door swung open and Harry was met with the curious face of Ebony Black.

"Is something wrong?" she asked "you look all worked up. D'you want to go down to the kitchens with me so we can talk?"

"That would be great" Harry sighed

He and Ebony walked down to the Kitchens silently. When they got there Ebony sat Harry down and made some toast for them both. After they had eaten she looked at him and asked

"What's up?"

Harry sighed again "We just got our O.W.L results back this morning so Hermione came into our room and made us read them"  he started

"Oh really, how'd you go?" Ebony enquired

"I got twelve O.W.L's altogether out of fifteen"

"Wow! That's fantastic! Okay, keep going, what happened?"

"Me and Hermione told our results; she got all of her sixteen O.W.L's. Then we asked Ron what he got and he just went totally mental at us. Just because Hermione agreed with me that he should calm down after he told us his results" Harry explained

"Ah, so he was jealous of you? Did he say things like 'of course you got good marks because you're Harry Potter'?"

"Exactly"

"Well, that's natural; if in doubt blame Harry Potter. It's just that way of the world"

Harry chuckled "I guess you're right. So what's happening today?"

A dark look passed across Ebony's face. She turned her head to stare blankly at the wall opposite.

"It's dad's funeral thing this afternoon" she said, voice think with emotion.

Harry's eyes widened, how could he have forgotten?

"Oh yeah, Ebony, if you need me just ask okay? I know I'm going to need you with me at all times" he stated

"Of course I'll need you" she replied "but now I need a shower, so lead me to the bathroom will you?"

Harry smiled slightly and nodded

Harry and Ebony spent the rest of the day leading up to Sirius' funeral together. They just sat and talked all about Hogwarts and the British wizarding world. Also Ebony told Harry all about Australia and her old school. She had gone to a wizarding boarding school similar to Hogwarts except it wasn't a castle. It was just a huge school built in the 1800's called Aimwell Academy of Magic. She said that she was already halfway through her sixth year because Australians start school in January. She told Harry all about her friends and her teachers and how in the holidays she had stayed with some people Dumbledore knew until midway through 1995 when Sirius had come and claimed her and they had lived in an apartment together until he had to go back to England. This answered Harry's question of where Sirius had been the summer before his fourth year; he was with his daughter in Australia.

Yet in all of her stories she never once mentioned her mother. This seemed strange to Harry but he didn't bring it up. 

At about four thirty Harry heard Mrs Weasley yelling that everything would start in half and hour and that all the guests would be arriving in twenty minutes. Harry and Ebony went back to their rooms to get changed into some more formal robes. When Harry got to his room Ron was standing in front of a mirror fastening the clasp of his cloak. He looked around as Harry came in.

"Listen mate, I just want to say sorry about this morning. I said some stupid things and I regret them. I know I overreacted and I'm sorry for yelling"

"It's ok; just make sure it doesn't happen again. I've had enough of that to last a life time" Harry replied bitterly

Ron nodded and walked out of the room to go downstairs and wait for the rest of his family to arrive.

Harry changed into his bottle green robes that he had worn to the Yule ball. He was surprised that they still fit him but figured that they probably grew with him. He fastened a light cloak around his shoulders and tried in vain to tame his wild hair. After giving up he decided to meet Ebony. Just as he was about to knock Hermione opened the door.

"Oh hello Harry, we were just about to go down"

"Great" he replied dully

He noticed that Hermione was not wearing the same periwinkle blue robes that she had worn in fourth year but a pair of deep mahogany robes instead. She also had slicked back her hair slightly.

Harry stepped back to let her pass. She walked around him and started off down the hall shutting the door behind her. Harry turned back to the door waiting for Ebony. He waited for about five minutes before he decide to call and see if she was ready.

"Ebony, Are you ready yet?"

"I don't want to go!" she cried back

"Okay, are you decent?" he called again

"Yes"

"Right, well I'm coming in"

He pushed open the door to reveal Ebony sitting on her bed with her head in her hands. He strode over and knelt in front of her.

"You're coming down Ebony Black. You're coming down because you need to. You're coming down because I need you" he said

"But I'm so scared" she whispered "it's like if I do then I know he's gone for good. I don't think I can handle that"

"You can and you will" Harry stated

He stood up and pulled her to her feet. She was wearing dark purple robes that fit nicely with her dark hair done up in a large black clasp. Harry thought she looked beautiful.

"Come on Ebony, let's just say our goodbyes, nick some food and nick off okay?"

"Fine" she mumbled back

Harry took her hand and led her from the room, down the stairs and into the drawing room. Everyone was there when they arrived; Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley, McGonagall, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Ginny and Hermione. The drawing room looked the same as usual except the black drapes on the walls and the large moving photograph of Sirius of the fireplace. Harry led Ebony over to an empty couch and they sat down. He noticed that her grip on his hand was getting very tight so he gave her hand a squeeze. She looked up at him and met his eyes and smiled sadly. Strangely enough his stomach did a little flip at this. Dumbledore clapped his hands twice to get attention. The room went quiet and he strode over to the fireplace to where the photo of Sirius was.

"Barely a month ago we lost one of our number. But not only did we lose a member of the order, we lost a man, a marauder, a cousin, a godfather, a father and a friend. Sirius Black was the most spirited member of this group. He was filled with life and made the people around him sparkle. He was brave and determined and amazingly protective of those he loved. While Sirius was at school he was one of the brightest students Hogwarts had ever seen, not to mention one of the most troublesome. After school he continued to light up rooms just by entering. Sirius was the type of person who lives life to the full, even though his life was a hard one. He left home at sixteen to live with his best friend. He married at nineteen but lost his wife nearly two years later. His only child was sent away for protection. He then lost his to best friends and was betrayed and framed by another. He spent twelve years imprisoned and three years in hiding. Yet through all of that he still managed to keep his zest for life and for that we are all thankful. The loss of Sirius has caused immeasurable pain but I know that he would want us to keep living, to honour his memory by living life the same way that he did"

Dumbledore paused and surveyed those around him through his half moon glasses, his eyes finally rested on Harry and Ebony.

"Sirius did not want to die, but I know that if he had he would have wanted to go heroically, trying to save someone he loved, for he would do anything for them. And he did. But we must not blame ourselves for his death because he would not blame any of us. So now we gather to honour him and to say thankyou. Thankyou Sirius for giving us all so much joy"

The room was silent except for the sound of sniffs and sobs. Not a single person in the room had a dry eye. Harry sat with his arms wrapped tightly around a sobbing Ebony, tears streaming down his cheeks. So it was final, he could no longer imagine that this was all one very bad dream. He would do as Dumbledore had asked; he would live, live with the same vivacity as Sirius for that was the greatest way to honour him. 

TBC . . .  


	5. Decisions, decisions, decisions

**Disclaimer: Yes, I'm still trying to bribe Ms Rowling into giving me all the rights to Harry Potter . . . so far it's a no go. I'll just have to keep writing illegal imitations then *sigh***

Ok, now that that's out of the way I shall proceed to thank all the most absolutely amazingly fantastic people who have reviewed.

**shdurrani: **Why thankyou, and let me assure you that I will definitely keep this going

**Srialb: **WHAT A FANTASTIC REVIEW! Ok, now I'm the one who needs to calm down. I am so freaking happy that you love this! I love people loving this!

**GravityDrop: ***sigh* I feel honoured that you think my story is great. And I am very sorry that this chapter has taken so bloody long

**Charliegirl: **You know you are one fantastic comment giver. Ok, I'll try and answer your questions now. I think that because Hermione was so worried all through fifth year that she would have been slightly distracted so she couldn't really do as well as she should have. Also I think you can only get 'outstanding' if you get like 100% on your OWL and in the book she seems to complain about stuffing things up so I put her down a bit. Oh and about the "apology" I tried to make Ron sound sort of too sincere, like is apology was over practised because he didn't really mean it, you know? Ok, I hope that answers your questions. Thanks for reviewing; you are so still my equal number one fan!

**Arya Precantri: **I agree with you totally. I hate Ron, he is completely evil. I wish I could get rid of him. But I can't. So I'm compensating by torturing him with bad marks etc. Ah well, I'll just have to keep this semi perfect *cough cough*. Thanks for the review!

**Jimmy: **Aw, how wonderful that you have graced me with your presence James Cox. Nah, thanks for reviewing! But believe me Jimmy; I am so not adding on false compliments to this thankyou, I still have to get you back for that.

Right, well now that I'm done thanking all you groovtastical people I should actually get on with the chapter. Here I go then!

Chapter 5: Decisions, decisions, decisions

The next few days after Sirius' funeral seemed to fly by for Harry. He spent the majority of his time just lying around with Ebony. Ron and Hermione had gone home two days after leaving just Remus, Harry and Ebony in Grimmauld Place. Most days Remus would be out doing missions for the Order so Harry and Ebony were left to fend for themselves. On the fourth day Harry and Ebony were lying on the drawing room floor staring up at the ceiling. They had been there for most of the day but had only said a few sentences to each other in that time. Ebony rolled over onto her stomach and surveyed Harry through the hair that had fallen in her face. 

"Have you chosen your N.E.W.T classes yet?" she asked

"Err, no, not yet" Harry replied

"Well, what are you going to do?"

"Err, I think all of them"

"Oh yes, and of course I know what they are seeing as I can read minds" Ebony stated sarcastically

"Oh, I'm doing Charms, Potions, Defence against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. Why, what are you doing?"

"Same as you, 'cept I'm also doing Arithmancy" She replied tucking her hair behind her ears

"Alright" Harry paused "Is it, is it odd changing schools and countries?" he asked

"Very, but I was going to change this year anyway, even if, well you know. And I was originally booked into Hogwarts so I guess I'm just filling my place. And as for changing countries; it's different here, very actually. I loved Australia but this seems, well it feels like home" Ebony explained thoughtfully

They were quiet for a few minutes. Harry was thinking back over the past few days and wondering how he and Ebony had 'clicked' so easily. He hoped it was more than just shared grief. For some strange reason he was drawn to her. It was as if they need each other, almost like they were 'meant to be'. Harry's stomach gave a jolt at the thought. As if he was 'meant' for anyone, and anyway, he didn't believe in that sort of thing.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" he asked trying to distract himself

"I don't know what they are" Ebony replied

"Alright, well there are four houses. There's Ravenclaw; that's the smart house so to speak. They all study way too much but they have a pretty good Quidditch team. Then there's Hufflepuff; they're the loyal, hardworking house, bit slow most of them. And they aren't very good at Quidditch. Then there's the Slytherins. They're basically all evil. Voldemort himself was one. They're all sneaky and insulting. The whole house thinks that you have to be a pureblood to be worth anything. And last of all there's Gryffindor; the best house. They're all brave and loyal and brilliant at Quidditch"

"Ok then. Let me guess; you're in Gryffindor?" she asked smiling

"But of course. So are Hermione and Ron. And my parents were along with Sirius and Remus and all of the Weasley's and even Dumbledore"

"Ah well, it's obviously the best house then. I hope I'm in Gryffindor. I definitely don't like the sound of Slytherin"

"No, and you'll hate it even more when you meet Malfoy"

"Come again?"

"Draco Malfoy, he's completely evil. His father's just been put in prison for being a Death Eater. He thinks all muggles and muggle borns are scum and constantly calls Hermione a mudblood" 

"Charming. Hang on, Draco Malfoy right?" Harry nodded "Ok, wait two seconds"

Ebony got up and walked over to the tapestry of the 'Noble and most ancient house of Black'. Harry propped himself up on his elbows wondering what she was doing. Ebony turned back around to face him with a grimace.

"Oh dear, it seems that Mr Malfoy is closely related to me" she said

"What?!" Harry gasped

"Yeah, his mother Narcissa was dad's first cousin. So Malfoy is like my second cousin or something. Imagine being related to that! Erk, I feel dirty"

"Now that is pretty gross isn't it? Oh well, I'm related to the Dursley's"

Harry had told Ebony all about the Dursley's previously so she chuckled along with him.

Ebony came back and lay down on the floor next to Harry. He felt his stomach back flip when he looked over and saw her chest slowly rising up and down with her breathing. A blush crept its way up his neck and face so he turned is head away. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Harry and Ebony bolted upright. They got up and raced towards the front door. Harry wrenched it open only to find Lupin and Dumbledore on the doorstep.

"Good afternoon Harry, Ebony. May we come inside?" Dumbledore smiled

"Of course Professor" Harry stepped back to let the two men pass. He then shut the door and followed them back to the drawing room. When they got there Dumbledore and Lupin sat down on one of the couches and Dumbledore gestured for the two teenagers to do likewise.

"Right, well, you are both probably wondering why I am here, correct?" Harry and Ebony nodded "don't worry, it's nothing sinister. It's just that Remus came to see me today and during our conversation the topic of which house you Ebony are going to be in came up. Now usually all of the new students are sorted at the start of term feast. However, because we haven't had a student join the school at this level in almost five hundred years we decided that it would be better to sort you before school started. And so here I am with the sorting hat ready to sort you" 

Dumbledore pulled out the tattered old sorting hat from inside one of his pockets.

"Ebony, if you'd would please step over here" He beckoned her forwards while Harry watched on curiously

He was hoping beyond hope that she would be in Gryffindor. He did not think that he could stand a whole year without seeing her all the time. Harry watched as she cautiously lowered the hat onto her head. He only had to wait a very short time before the hat shouted out

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and lifted his head so that he would meet Ebony's eyes. She was smiling brightly as she removed the hat from her head. After carefully handing it back to Dumbledore she bounded back over to Harry. He stood up and gave her a big hug still wondering why doing things like that to her came so easily.

"I'm so glad you'll be with me" he said into her hair

"I'm so glad too" he heard her reply

"Well, now that that's done I'm going to have to have a word with Harry alone" Dumbledore said clapping his hands together

Harry released Ebony from their hug and shot her a confused look. He was wondering what on earth the headmaster had to tell him now.

Ebony and Lupin left the room to give Dumbledore and Harry their privacy.

"Harry, Ebony is going to have a hard year. She carries the prejudices that come with her family name and people will hold that against her. She's a strong young woman but children can be very cruel. I want you to look after her and help her through this year. It's a big change from her old school where she would have been accepted at once. I'm sure that if Ebony had begun her schooling at Hogwarts people would have looked past her name but because she is starting now, when the world has just realised that Voldemort is indeed back, people are likely to be suspicious of her. I want you to protect her from that. Can you do that Harry?"

"Of course Professor, I know what it's like to be doubted constantly and I wouldn't wish that on anyone else, especially not Ebony" Harry replied

"Wonderful! I also have something that I would like to give you"

"Err, ok" Harry replied hesitantly

Dumbledore held out a smallish black velvet box, a lot like one that wedding rings would come in but larger.

"This should have been yours last year Harry, I hope that you can accept it" Dumbledore said

Harry opened the box to find a red and gold Gryffindor prefect badge shining up at him.

"Are, are you sure sir? I mean, we already have two Gryffindor sixth year prefects" he stuttered

"Of course I'm sure Harry. That badge should have been yours last year and all of the staff at Hogwarts know that, yes Harry, even professor Snape acknowledged that you should have been made prefect. And your O.W.L results have proven it even more so. I must say Harry that if you actually decided to work then you would be in the same league as Miss Granger. No, no boy, don't protest you don't know what you're talking about. You see Harry; your O.W.L results were in the top five of your year. If I'm not mistaken, and I rarely am, you are in the running for Head Boy next school year. Your father was Head Boy in his time and your mother was Head Girl, I'm sure that they would be very proud of you if you continued their legacy"

"I don't know what to say sir, this is a little overwhelming"

"Say yes Harry, you deserve this" Dumbledore urged

"Alright then, I accept" Harry said smiling

"Good, I knew that you would. I'm sure Sirius would have been devastated to hear it though; he never was one to hold respect for responsibility. Well Harry, I must be off now, do remember though that if you need me you must contact me at once. I will be here in about a week for your birthday as well"

"Oh yes, my birthday, I'd completely forgotten about that"

"Ah well, let me assure you that no one else has, especially the Weasely twins"

"Oh no, I can just imagine what they're cooking up" Harry groaned even though he was pleased that for once he would be spending his birthday in the company of his friends.

"They seem to be planning something spectacular.  Well, we shall see shan't we? Now, I best be off, make sure you show Ebony your badge, I'm sure she'll be very happy for you" Dumbledore said smiling mysteriously.

"Err, yes I'm err, sure she will be" Harry replied tentatively 

"Well goodbye Harry, I will be seeing you soon" 

"Yes, goodbye sir"

Once again Dumbledore strode from the room leaving a bewildered Harry to ponder over their past conversation. How on earth could he be in the running for Head Boy, it was just ridiculous. And why did all the staff at Hogwarts think that he should be made prefect, he'd broken more rules than any other student in his year and lost more points than most combined. And as for Snape agreeing, that was completely absurd, Snape hated Harry, he'd never agree to give him a position of authority. He continued to think like that until he heard a knock on the door. Looking up he saw Ebony standing in the doorway.

"Sorry for interrupting your thoughts, I just wanted to see if you were done talking" she said

"Yeah, yeah I am" Harry said still confused

"Ok then, what'd he want?" she asked as she walked over to where Harry was sitting

"He err, he made me a prefect, god knows why. I mean, I've broken basically all the school rules and I've lost more points than anyone else in my year. Who in their right mind would make me a prefect?" 

"Dumbledore will have his reasons. Anyway, who would be a better prefect than you? You've saved the school how many times? You've faced the most evil wizard in history four times in his older years and once when he was a memory. You break rules because you have to. From all dad has told me no one deserves it more than you. I bet all your teachers know that, they know that the school means so much to you that you would do anything to protect it. And your marks are fantastic so it's not like you're stupid or anything. Also, so many people look up to you and respect you. So many people know the great things that you've done Harry, they'll listen to you. There you go; there are a bloody lot of reasons why you'll make a great prefect. See, Dumbledore isn't that mad"

"Ok then, if you put it that way" Harry laughed 

"And plus, I think you'll be wonderful and my opinion is all that counts anyway"

"Oh yes Ebony, the world revolves around you. With a head that big it'd have to"

"Humph! How dare you mock me underling! You shall pay for that!" she started to belt him with pillows

"Oh I don't think so! You think you can destroy me woman! Not bloody likely!"

And so Harry and Ebony started a massive pillow fight. Harry was surprised that he would do something like that. He was having a lot of fun with this girl that he had only met about a bout ago, more fun in fact than he had had with Ron and Hermione for a long time. He felt so comfortable around her, more so than anyone else that he knew. He felt like he could be Harry around her, not the boy who lived, just Harry. And she reminded him so much of Sirius; they had the same sarcastic streak and the fun loving sparkle in their eyes. But still, there was also that curious glint in her eyes that he just could not put his finger on.

TBC . . . 

A/N: Oooooook, I hope that wasn't too . . . err . . . dinky? Oh well, however you thought it was I hope that you review because I just love to get comments!!!! Thanks again for reading!


	6. The boy who lived, to party?

**Disclaimer: IHAVE NO MONEY LEFT TO BRIBE JK ROWLING WITH! I spent it all . . . what a complete bummer! Now I have to admit to not owning anything except Ebony. Oh well.**

Thank you all for being so wonderfully patient with me. Because of your absolute wonderful-ness I am going to thank you all. Beware . . . this may take a while.

**GravitDrop**: Hmmm . . . are Harry and Ebony going to get together? I really don't know ;) well I do . . . but I can't tell you. Thanks!

**Alex20: **No overshadowing from Ebony I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die! Thanks for the review! Keep reading!

**Nelinde1: **Very sorry for not updating in centuries! Kill me now for being a slack-o! Thanks for the great review!

**fanpotter: **Awfully sorry about the lack of Ron and Hermione . . . they were keeping a low profile. I promise there will be more of them. Thanks for the groovtastical review and thanks SO much for putting me on your favourites!

**Little House Girl: **Lovely review! Thanks heaps! I'm so sorry for not updating quickly! I shall from now on! I was being a bum.

**Arya1: **I'm very glad you are excepting Ebony! I am not big on Mary-sues either but I just felt like making my own character. I hope she's not too bad. Thanks for reviewing again . . . You rock!

**LittleEar BigEar's sis: **Thanks! I'm making this story happier now . . . false sense of security I tell you! Sorry for taking so long with this! 

**SaphireAngel6: **You'll just have to wait and see now won't you! I'm not giving anything away . . . just keep reading. I also love Harry/OC! Thanks for the review!

**Elle: **Big boo-boo! I haven't updated this story for more than a month! EEE! Kill me now! Oh well . . . it's updated now so you dot have to chuck me off a cliff. Hope you like it and review!****

**Ganymade: **I swear there will be more Ron and Hermione! I promise! Just not in the last few chapters and not much in this one. Thanks for the review though!

**Amiria: **Thank you very much! I hope you stick with me for this story! It's great that you think it's well written! Keep reading!

**CurlyloxTN: **I am completely honoured that you stayed awake just to review my ickle story. I am so very happy that you like it so much . . . I'm honestly touched! I hope to goodness you keep reading and reviewing, its people like you who can make peoples days!

**Jimmy: **Hahaha! Nope, Ebony is NOT Voldemort! Thanks for the review James!

**Charliegirl2: **Groovy in-depth review! Love it! Ok, where to start? How she knows shall be explained . . . and it doesn't say anywhere exactly where Sirius went the summer before Harry's 4th year . . . it just says he went south . . . Australia – South. Well that's what I thought anyways. Also the Dumbledore protection thing shall be explained. And the eye glow. And as for Harry's speech, that's just how I want him to talk, he's getting older now, and it's around Dumbledore so he wants to sound good. Right! That's done! Thanks for reviewing my equal number 1 fan!

**Kento: **Thanks! Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Keep reading!

**Mella deRanged: **Oh there will be more prophecy stuff . . . you mark my words there will be more. As I have said before; I'm making these chapters happy for a reason, false sense of security. Thanks for the review! Keep those comments rolling!

**dancer891234567789: **Thank you very much! You shall be seeing what happens at Hogwarts very soon! Keep reading and reviewing!

Sheesh! Now that took a while! I love it though; it makes me so happy to answer all my reviews. You guys really rock! Ok I'm going to type up this chapter already!

Chapter 6: The boy who lived . . . to party?

The night before his birthday Harry couldn't sleep. Horrible thoughts on just what the Weasley twins had planned for him kept circling around his tired mind. He didn't think it'd be anything too bad but knowing Fred and George it was likely to be either very shocking or rather dangerous. Most likely the latter he thought wryly. Yet even though he was thinking about the disastrous results of tomorrows celebrations his stomach still gave little hops of excitement at the thought. Deep inside Harry was overjoyed that for once he was going to have a proper celebration of his birthday. For once he would spend it in the company of friends. However, the empty space inside of him where Sirius used to be panged with sadness. The thought of having his first proper birthday party without his godfather made his stomach churn with grief.

Harry pushed those thoughts aside. He knew that Sirius would have wanted him to be happy, not moping. And as long as Sirius' memory lived on inside of him then he wasn't really gone. He was still with Harry in the sense that no matter where he was he still loved him. Harry smiled up at the ceiling; as long as he kept thinking like that he wouldn't lose himself in a meaningless swamp of depression. As long as he let his friends help him through it he'd come out sharing his smile with the rest of the world. Sirius would be proud. He would be proud that he had a godson who was strong. Having finally sorted out his thoughts and feelings Harry allowed his mind to slip off into a blissful nothingness. 

Harry awoke the next morning to a stream of bright light coming from the crack in his curtains. He was happy to realise that for once he had not had to open his presents and cards in the dead of night. Instead he would be opening them with the people he cared for. He rose quickly and was just making his way back from the bathroom when something living collided with his chest.  
  


"Oomph!" Harry exclaimed "Ebony! Why the heck are you running so fast?"

"Err . . . well it's just that . . . err . . . Happy Birthday!"

She was looking rather frazzled

"Right, umm thanks" Harry replied confused

"I'll err; I'll just be off now. Cheerio!" Ebony stuttered whilst rushing back down the stairs.

Harry thought that she looked very flustered and shifty. He was starting to get suspicious that no one else had come to give him birthday greetings. Where was Lupin? It was probably part of Fred and George's plans; he was supposed to get worried that everyone had forgotten his birthday. He decided to go down stairs to the kitchen to get some breakfast, when he arrived there only Lupin was present. As Harry walked through the door he lowered his news paper and smiled at him.

"Happy Birthday Harry, I would give you your gift now but I'm being made to give it to you later" he said still smiling

"Alright then, that's fine. Just out of curiosity though; it wouldn't happen to be Fred and George who're making you wait till later would it?'

"You'll just have to wait and see now won't you" Lupin grinned at him knowingly

"S'pose I will" Harry grinned back

After Harry had finished his breakfast he looked up to see Lupin staring at him.

"So, how does it feel to be sixteen?" Lupin asked

"Not too different from how it felt to be fifteen really. I s'pose I feel a bit less of a kid and a bit more of an adult" Harry replied thoughtfully

"Yes, that makes sense. I remember when your father turned sixteen. He had his birthday before the rest of us so he was prancing around preaching about the responsibilities that came with being a near adult. Of course then Sirius put a silencing charm on him. That was a very amusing day"

"I'm sure it was. I just hope no one puts a silencing charm on me! I'd hate to be shut up on my birthday" Harry replied cheekily

"Well you'll just have to wait your step" Lupin smiled as he rolled up his paper "I'll just head on up to the drawing room now. I'll come and get you when everything's ready. Just make sure you stay in your room. Oh and by the way, I would strongly advise looking in the _daily prophet, _there might be something of interest in there for you"

With a parting wink Lupin left a bewildered Harry sitting at the dining table. He lent across to where Lupin had left the _daily prophet_ and unrolled the thick wad of parchment. His eyes widened at the heading on the front page.

_The Boy Who Lived . . . to party?_

_Harry Potter, a raging partier at 16?_

_Today young Mr Potter celebrates his sixteenth birthday. Inside sources have informed 'the prophet' that the boy who lived is planning on having a raging rave to celebrate this momentous event. It has been alleged that Potter will be hiring out an entire Wizarding club to hold his birthday bash and according to a close friend of Mr Potter the guest list is to be extensive. Unfortunately 'the prophet' was unable to get a hold of just who was going to be at the party of the summer but when we asked around we received some very interesting answers._

_"Oh Harry will have everyone at his party, he's such a great guy, a little last minute but still one great partier" Dean Thomas 16 stated when asked about Mr Potter. Dean currently attends Hogwarts __school__ of __Witchcraft__ and Wizardry in the same year and house as our birthday boy._

_We also asked Lavender Brown 15, just what she thought about the boy who lived. "Harry's a wonderful person. He's very funny and one wild partier. You should see him after Quidditch matches in Gryffindor tower! It he was going to have a rave then all his Gryffindor friends would be invited. Maybe some celebrities too; I've heard him say he likes the weird sisters so they'd probably be playing"_

_If what these sources say is true then 'the prophet's' image of the one innocent boy who lived has certainly changed. His peers view him as one wild child and 'the prophet' has reason to believe this is true._

_  Founders of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Misters Fred and George Weasley have both confirmed Miss Brown and Mr Thomas's views on Mr Potter. According to one of the twins (we weren't sure which) Harry is "the original bad boy". Both the Weasley twins are closely connected to Mr Potter as their younger brother Ronald is Mr Potter best friend. The other twin (we still couldn't tell) agreed wholeheartedly with his brother and added that he had "never met such a great bloke" and that Mr Potter was "usually the heart of the party"_

_And so 'the prophet' has come to the conclusion that Harry Potter can no longer be called just 'the boy who lived' but instead 'the boy who lived to party'_

_Happy sixteenth Mr Potter, party hard!_

Harry snorted with mirth after finishing the ridiculous article. He found it rather ironic that just two months ago the same paper had been making him out to be a crazed liar then when his stories were proved to be true they portrayed him as a tragic hero and now he was a wild child, a raging party goer.  Of course he'd congratulate Fred and George for their amusing comments on what a bad boy he was. The Wizarding world was sure to have a blast with this article.

He put down the paper and went back upstairs to his room to wait until he was allowed out. Occasionally he heard loud bangs and scraping noises like furniture being moved. Finally after being stuck in his room for about two hours or so he heard a knock at the door. Harry quickly got to his feet and rushed to open it. Lupin was standing there grinning like Harry had never seen him do before.

"So . . . "Harry started

"So, I'm going to have to blindfold you now. Yes, yes I know you already know you're having a party but that wasn't the surprise. Now come here"

He grabbed Harry by the shoulders and spun him around so that his back was facing Lupin. Harry felt a scarf sized piece of black material slip over his eyes and the world went black. He could feel Lupin tying a knot at the back of his head then tugging at it to check that it was secure.

"Can you see anything? No? Good! Well we'll be off then, and no peeking!"

Harry felt himself being led down a corridor, down some stairs, around a corner, down another corridor and finally he came to a halt around halfway down the last corridor. He heard Lupin knock three times on a door then he felt himself being pushed inside. He heard the door shut and a few pairs of feet shuffling around from inside the room. Suddenly someone removed his blindfold. Harry blinked a few times but was surprised to find that he still could not see anything.

"Someone hit the lights!" he heard a nearby voice cry out and then the room was bathed in light.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!"

Staring back at him was a room full of people with short messy jet black hair and glasses wearing Gryffindor Quidditch robes.

One of the shorter ones waved to him from the crowd and spoke to him.

"Hi ya Harry! Happy Birthday! D'you like the new look?" He recognised the voice to be Ginny Weasley's

Harry was completely lost for words. Everyone in the room was dressed up just like him at a Quidditch match. They all varied in height and body shape but there was no mistaking the imitation Harry Potters. He gave a snort of laughter which soon developed into full blown chuckles.

"It's fantastic! I can't believe you guys did this!" He managed to choke out through his giggles.

A pair of stocky sized twin Harry's stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Glad you like it Harry old chap!" One of them exclaimed 

"Sure are Fred! Certainly took us bloody ages to get these made!" the other replied

Harry laughed at the expressions on the twin's faces

"You two did this? It's just . . . wow! I mean, I was expecting something completely different! I'd never ever have imagined something like this . . . it's just amazing!"

"Yeah but it'll wear off in . . . "He checked his watch "err, about ten minutes. Until then Harry Potter really will be the life of the party!"

The room exploded with laughter

During the remaining ten minutes that the costumes were on for Harry spent his time trying to guess who each 'Harry' really was. He got Ron, Hermione, Charlie, Bill, Ebony, Ginny and Mrs Weasley but lucked out on Mr Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, Mundungus and Dumbledore. He was pleased to see that all the fake Harry's had little lightning bolt scars on their foreheads.

Finally after the ten minutes were up there was a series of loud 'snapping' noises and all of his friends reappeared as themselves,

Ron slapped Harry on the back and said "so now I know now it feels to be you mate. What can I say, it's bloody awful!" 

Harry gave Ron a playful punch on the arm, "you're telling me! Anyway, what's for eating?" He asked with a huge grin gracing his be-speckled face.

"Food Harry! What did ya think?" Tonks shouted from the back of the room.

Ebony tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the side of the room. There was a table pushed up against the wall groaning under the weight of bowls and bowls of Mrs Weasley's delicious cooking.

"Oh wonderful!" Harry grinned.

The birthday party continued into the evening with o signs of slowing down. Most of the food was gone by the time Lupin called everyone's attention together to say that is was preset opening time. Harry was shocked, he had thought that the party was the present but apparently that wasn't the case. He was shoved down onto a couch in the centre of the room with everyone else crowded around him. On a table in front of him there was a large pile of brightly wrapped gifts from everyone in the room.

"Open mine first mate!" Ron yelled to pointing at a messily wrapped present in bright orange paper.

Harry picked it up and tore of the wrappers. Ron had given him a book called 'the seekers guide to the Snitch' and a huge bag of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.

After Ron's present he opened Hermione's which was a large leather bound book on famous Aurors and a new red leather journal.

"Who is this?" he asked picking up a neatly wrapped present in gold paper with a scarlet ribbon

"That would be mine" Ebony piped up

"Righto" Harry smiled as he carefully removed the paper. She had given him a huge new sketch book and a tin case of graphic sketching pencils.

"Wow! Thanks Ebony! No ones ever given me something like this" he exclaimed joyfully

"No problem" she replied

Next Harry opened Mr and Mrs Weasley's gift which turned out to be a new bottle green jumper, jeans and an enormous tin of fudge. After that it was Bill's, which was a miniature Canopic jar with the head of a pharaoh that had emerald eyes. The Charlie's, which was a Hungarian Horntails tooth on a thin silver chain. Next was the twins who had given him an enormous box of products from their shop and a contract saying he was a co-owner. After that he opened Tonks gift which was a book entitled 'The Art of Disguise' and Kingsley's which was a book on Auror tips. The he opened Moody's which was a brand new sneak-o-scope and Mundungus' which was a pair of imported dragon hide boots and a jacket. Harry suspected he had acquired them illegally but was happy all the same. After that was Ginny's who had given him a snitch alarm clock. That left him with two presents remaining. He picked up the first which was wrapped in shiny gold paper and was about the size of a jewellery box. Inside was just that; a small black velvet ring box. He opened the lid to find two beautiful gold wedding rings, one slightly smaller than the other was studded with tiny diamonds and emeralds; the other was just a plain gold band. Harry looked up at the people surrounding him, is eyes came to rest on Lupin.

"They were your parents' wedding rings. James told Sirius and me to give them to you on your sixteenth birthday if he and Lily died. So here they are"

Thankyou" Harry whispered as he put the closed box away into his pocket

That left the last present on the table. It was wrapped in a bluey silver shiny paper. He peeled back the wrapping to reveal a golden plague set in mahogany wood. He read the engraved letters; face lighting up at each one.

_Harry James Potter_

_Member of_

_The Order of the __Phoenix___

_1996 –_

TBC . . . 

A/N: Well! I hope you all enjoyed that! It certainly took me bloody ages to post; I am such a lazy bum. Ah well, hopefully the next chapter will be up ASAP. Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW! I love you all!


End file.
